Monte Carlo Biscuits

Hope's delicious Monte Carlos have been a favourite biscuit amongst our family for as long as I can remember. When our daughter said she would love Ma Ma's (my Mum's) original recipe, I was inspired to find it. I've really enjoyed doing some research, baking a few batches of biscuits, comparing her handwritten recipe with others, and now I am very happy that I can bake Monte Carlo's exactly the same as Mum did, from her original recipe. They taste perfect.

This past week, I've been on a mission to find the exact biscuit recipe my Mum used for her Monte Carlo biscuits which my daughter, Shannon, remembers with fondness, especially as her Ma Ma often baked them. I have tried baking  biscuits using a couple of different recipes, as I needed to find the biscuit recipe which we all remember so well as being Hope's signature recipe. I've decided on using her original recipe which I found in her hand written recipe books, as this is the taste we remember. 

I love that these biscuits can also be baked and eaten "plain" without any adornment, and are very easy to bake. They are perfect for impromptu morning teas, or for the children to enjoy after school. When I was growing up in our family home, which was an authentic high set Queenslander in Park Avenue, in North Rockhampton, I remember that we used to live opposite "old Mr. and Mrs. Berry and their daughter Marjie Berry". Whenever we crossed the road to visit them, we were often offered delicious biscuits, which I now remember as being very similar to these biscuits, but without the filling. There are so many nostalgic memories which are evoked by food.

Let's bake some bikkies:

Biscuit Ingredients:

4 oz (113g) butter, softened

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg (room temperature)

1 dessertspoon Honey

1 1/2 cups Self Raising Flour

3 teaspoons Baking Powder

Method:

Use a hand held electric mixer, much easier than a Kitchen Aid mixer

Grease and line two baking trays

Preheat your oven to 180 deg. C

Cream the butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric hand mixer until just combined.

Add the egg and beat in well.

Add the honey and mix in.

Remove the beaters from the bowl and remove mixture left on beaters back into the bowl.

Sift flour and baking powder together and add to the biscuit mixture.

Roll mixture into balls and place on the baking tray.

Flatten slightly with a fork to leave an imprint on top.

Cook in a moderate oven (180 deg. C). for about 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully because they burn easily. 

Lift biscuits with a knife or spatula onto a wire rack to cool.

When cool, join two biscuits together either with delicious layers of 1 teaspoon of Vienna Cream and 1 teaspoon of Raspberry Jam, or simple layers of Hope's Royal Icing (see notes below) and Raspberry Jam. (See Backstory notes below.) Strawberry Jam can also be used.

Vienna Cream Ingredients:

60g butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup icing sugar

2 teaspoons full cream milk

Plus 1/2 cup Raspberry Jam, for a separate layer of jam

Instructions:

Sandwich cooled Monte Carlo biscuits together with 1 teaspoon of Raspberry Jam and 1 teaspoon of Vienna Cream.

Place 1 teaspoon of jam on the lower biscuit, smooth lightly across biscuit with a knife, and then add 1 teaspoon of buttercream in the middle, place the 2nd biscuit on top and press very lightly to join.

This is still quite a delicate biscuit, so store in a covered container. 

Royal Icing:

I've called the icing that Mum made, Royal Icing, however it wasn't the textbook Royal Icing using icing sugar, lemon juice, and egg whites. She used about 1-2 cups of icing sugar, depending on what she was icing, and then added enough melted butter, and a little lemon juice or warm milk, until the mixture was the right consistency for what she needed. Not much butter or lemon juice is ever needed. The icing consistency for these biscuits needs to be firm enough for spreading but not dripping off the biscuit. I still use that icing method on many of my cakes and slices today.

Original handwritten recipe from Mum's recipe book

Cook's Notes:

• So many classic and vintage original recipes were very sparing with instructions. I think they must have presumed that people reading the recipe knew how to bake and cook. These recipes were often shared around among friends who loved to bake.
• Mum's original recipe says "I often make the above mixture, roll into balls, and roll in coconut. Press in centre and add some jam".  Simple as that? She meant that this biscuit recipe can also be used to make Jam Drops.
• When I was baking various batches of these biscuits, with coconut and without, it was raining, and the humidity in the house was at least 80%. If you are baking in drier conditions, I wish, the icing might be stiffer and the biscuits will be crisper. 
• I needed to place my biscuits in the refrigerator straight away after cooling to keep them crisp, and again after joining them with icing.
• When you are preparing to roll your mixture into balls either by hand or if using a mini cookie or ice-cream scoop, which makes the job easier, have a small bowl of flour nearby, and dip your hands or the scoop into it to make it easier when handling the biscuit mixture. 
• Dipping the fork into the bowl of flour also helps when flattening the biscuits slightly.

2 trays of biscuits like this one, ready for the oven. First tray is slightly larger.

Backstory notes:

The Monte Carlo Biscuit was first baked by the Australian company, Arnott's Biscuits, back in 1926. Why did they call them Monte Carlos? Back then, everyone thought of Monte Carlo in Monaco, as sophisticated, luxurious and romantic. Beautifully packaged, with the famous parrot still on the packaging, the Monte Carlo biscuit soon became a favourite Aussie "bikkie", and is still available at supermarkets. The individual layers of cream and jam can still be identified between the biscuits. No need to buy them though, we can bake them at home.

According to my Mum's recipe, she joined the Monte Carlo biscuits using a simple combination of Icing Sugar and Raspberry Jam which we remember as being on the drier side.  "Join together with icing sugar and Raspberry Jam." I am calling it Royal Icing.

However, I have decided to bring this recipe into the 21st century, ha, ha, by sometimes using a Vienna Cream Icing and Raspberry Jam filling which is delicious, and when I have the time. Otherwise I'll be using Hope's simplified version of Royal Icing.

There is also a Monte Carlo biscuit recipe in the Australian Women's Weekly Biscuit cookbook and online, which  uses 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2/3 cup (50g) of desiccated coconut in the recipe. I made a batch of these using the coconut, but it's not the biscuit we remember, although it is still a nice biscuit, however I won't be using it for Monte Carlos. Sorry AWW.  Even though she sometimes used a slightly different biscuit recipe to make Jam Drops,  Mum also said in her recipe that whilst she often made this biscuit mixture, she would also roll it into balls, roll them in coconut, and add some jam.

I really think the finesse required when making biscuits isn't to be underestimated, and it is so worthwhile. This is the perfect biscuit to make, even just plain, when you just feel like something sweet and  comforting to eat with a cup of coffee or tea. No fuss, no bother, no stress, just a baking of a biscuit which has a nostalgic history.

Thanks to my amazing daughter Shannon, who I reminisced with about her Grandmother's Monte Carlo biscuits, and which helped me to fill in some of the gaps. She has an incredible and enviable memory of all the biscuits and cakes that my Mum made when we visited her, right down to the fine detail of the Monte Carlo biscuit filling. It helped to confirm my memories as well.

The Fine Bone China that I've used for the photos, is one of my favourite sets. It's Shelley Fine Bone China, named Hare Bell, I call it Blue Bells. All of the china pieces have individual Pattern Numbers. The Scotch Thistle linen tablecloth I used, is one that I bought for my Mum 20 years ago, when we were living in Cockermouth in the Lakes District of England for 12 months, during Mr. HRK's Teacher Exchange. Mum loved everything Scottish because of her upbringing, and as soon as I saw this tablecloth I knew it was just right for her. She loved it so much, that she never used it. I use it though, and it always bring back special memories.

This has been quite the nostalgic story hasn't it? I am much more nostalgic now than I ever was in my younger years, perhaps that is just age and maturity kicking in. What do you think? 

This is an original family recipe.

Warm wishes,

Pauline